Even without seeing his face, I knew Remo was gloating. He knew exactly what this did to us. Even if he didn’t care about anyone enough to feel the same anguish when they were tortured, he was well acquainted with human emotions.
Remo pulled a long, gleaming knife from his holster. I released Samuel who began to tremble. Pietro took a step closer, disbelieving, as if he wasn’t sure if what he saw was reality or his cruel imagination. This was a true nightmare that would certainly haunt us for a long time.
“They can pay for their sins with pain or pleasure.”
Danilo shook his head, murmuring, “No.”
Pain or pleasure. I’d kill Remo.
“You have no right to judge other people’s sins,” Serafina said in a shaking voice. She held her head high, tried to appear strong but her fear was obvious to me and it would be for Remo as well.
Remo moved behind her, towering a head over her with a smile I’d never forget. If I found a way to hurt him like this hurt us, I’d pay him back. Fuck, I wouldn’t stop until he was a shadow of the man he was now.
“What do you choose, Serafina? Will you surrender to torture or pay with your body?” He dragged his eyes down her body, lingering on her cleavage, undressing her with his leer for us to see.
Serafina didn’t say anything and her eyes flickered with terror. I glanced at Danilo. Dread settled in his eyes. Would he have to watch Remo rape Serafina? This choice Remo gave Serafina was a goddamn farce.
I wasn’t sure if I could bear seeing that. How were Samuel, Pietro, and Danilo going to survive?
“If you don’t choose, I will make the choice for you,” Remo said, his voice brimming with excitement as he barred Serafina from our view.
“I will choose the bite of cold steel over the touch of your unworthy hands any day, Remo Falcone.”
Surprised washed over me. Samuel’s eyes widened then he smiled slightly.
“I will enjoy your screams.”
“Remo, this is enough,” I snapped.
Remo jerked Serafina against him, her back flush to his chest, and grasped her chin, forcing her face up to his. I took a step closer to the screen, couldn’t stop myself.
Neither Remo nor Serafina looked at the camera. “Where would you like to feel my blade?” He showed Serafina the knife. “Or did you change your mind about your choice? Will you pay with your body after all?”
Serafina guided the knife to her forearm. I wasn’t sure what she was doing, what was going on between them. And then Remo cut Serafina’s arm. Blood welled up. She dug her teeth into her lower lip trying to keep her scream in. Remo gripped her waist, holding her up. I curled my hands to fists.
Pietro stumbled forward. “Enough! Stop it. Stop it now!”
Remo released Serafina and she fell to the ground, panting and dripping blood. Remo came closer and then the screen turned black.
Silence rang in the conference room.
Santino switched the camera and screen off then stood and slipped out of the room. Pietro sagged against the wall, his shaking fingers splayed over his mouth. Samuel stared at the black screen wide-eyed, chest heaving.
Danilo’s dark eyes met mine. “He won’t stop. He wants her. It was written all over his face. He wants her!”
I had seen it too. I wasn’t sure what exactly Remo wanted from Serafina. Maybe he didn’t know either. But he wanted to possess her. I knew because men like him and I and Danilo always wanted to possess what we shouldn’t. That look on his face it had been on mine when I fought against my desire for Valentina.
* * *
We decided to vacate the safehouse the next day. There was no sense in staying in Indianapolis. Because Danilo hadn’t married Serafina yet, Pietro as her father would officially lead her rescue and thus our operation base would be in Minneapolis.
Valentina and our children accepted it quietly when I told them we wouldn’t return to Chicago for now. The school year hadn’t started for Leonas yet, and Anna was being home-schooled anyway.
Ines took the news hard. For her, leaving Indianapolis marked defeat and as if she lost another part of Serafina. She broke down and refused to leave her bedroom.
Pietro and Samuel both were exhausted and shaken so I took it upon myself to talk to her.
When I entered her bedroom, I was reminded of the time I’d found her crying in the library.
Ines lay curled up on her bed, sobbing. Slowly, I approached her and perched on the bed. I touched her head like I’d done when she was a young girl and Father had treated her badly. Her eyes opened so full of anguish my own heart squeezed tightly. She threw herself at me, and I hugged her. “My little girl is suffering. I can’t bear it…I just can’t. I wish I was in her stead. I’d brave pain for her, I’d brave anything for her.”
I’d considered asking Remo to exchange Serafina for someone else, but Remo had targeted her on purpose for the shock value of having a bride, and maybe worse. He wouldn’t release her. That look on his face had made it clear. He wasn’t done playing yet, not with her, and definitely not with us.
“Ines, we must return to Minneapolis. It will do you good to be in your own home. We can’t do more for Serafina here than from there.”
“I feel like I’m giving her up.”
“You aren’t giving her up. We aren’t. But we need to stay strong and you need to keep Sofia in mind. She’s overwhelmed and being in her home will help her too. We all need stability. Val, the kids and I will stay with you for a while until we’ve saved Serafina. And we will save her. I swear.”
It was an oath I wasn’t sure I could keep.
PART FIVE
Valentina
We moved into a safehouse in Minneapolis because Dante determined it was too risky to have us all under one roof at night. But we spent all day at Pietro’s and Ines’ mansion. We settled into a strange routine and the days began to blur.
Pietro had doubled his guards in and around the house. The atmosphere was tense and depressed. I tried to give Sofia, Anna, and Leonas a sense of normalcy despite the horrendous situation, but they knew what was going on. Not in every terrible detail but enough to be aware of the seriousness. Anna and Sofia definitely suffered. Anna woke every night from nightmares while Leonas dealt better with the situation. Maybe it was his age. Maybe he couldn’t quite grasp what it meant to be in the Camorra’s hands. Anna had a better understanding and she experienced Sofia’s acute worry for Serafina.
We sat at the breakfast table one morning, almost done with eating and ready to drive to Pietro and Ines when Dante’s phone rang. He always had the tone turned on nowadays and every time it rang everyone around froze, gripped by dread, fearing bad news.
Dante glanced at his phone resting on the table and the way his mouth set in a tight line told me it was one of the Falcones.
I got up. “Why don’t you grab whatever you want to take with you today? We’re heading out in fifteen minutes.”
Neither Leonas nor Anna reacted to my words, their gazes fastened to their father. Slowly he looked up. My belly clenched.
“Upstairs, now,” he ordered.
Anna’s eyes widened. She pushed her chair back and stood then gripped Leonas’ hand who stared at his father with an open mouth. “Come, Leonas.”